Design System
Precise arrangement. 90-degree angles. Objects organized at perfect right angles on a flat surface.
A neutral surface palette inspired by photography backdrops. Kraft paper, linen, and concrete surfaces provide the canvas. One rust accent for emphasis.
IBM Plex Sans delivers precision and clarity. The monospace variant for technical details. Clean, engineered letterforms that align with the grid.
Built on an 8-pixel grid. Precise increments ensure every element aligns. Spacing is measured, not guessed.
Buttons appear as small objects on the surface. Sharp corners, subtle shadows. They lift slightly on hover, like picking up a tool.
Input fields as clean rectangles. No rounded corners, no decoration. The shadow grounds them on the surface like index cards or paper forms.
Cards are objects laid flat on the work surface. They cast subtle shadows and lift on hover. Like index cards, notes, or photographs arranged in a grid.
Everything aligns to the 8px base grid. Columns, gutters, and margins follow mathematical precision.
90-degree angles only. No rotation, no skew. Horizontal and vertical lines create order.
The space between objects matters as much as the objects themselves. Breathing room creates clarity.
Small labels for categorization and status. Like tiny stickers or tags placed precisely in the composition.
The philosophy behind knolling: organize, align, photograph. These rules guide every design decision.
Every element sits at exactly 90 degrees. No rotation, no diagonal placement. This creates visual harmony and allows the eye to scan naturally.
Objects align with each other. Edges run parallel. Groups form natural rows and columns. The grid is visible even when not drawn.
The gap between objects is uniform. Negative space becomes a design element. Breathing room separates and organizes.
A top-down view. Objects appear as flat shapes with subtle shadows. No vanishing points, no perspective distortion. Pure geometry.
Knolling was named by Andrew Kromelow while working as a janitor at Frank Gehry's furniture fabrication shop. The term comes from Knoll, the furniture company whose products Kromelow would arrange at right angles.